Iroko Cladding

About Iroko Cladding

Iroko is a West African hardwood often called African Teak, for its warm colour, natural oils and weather resistance. We stock it as exterior cladding in two profiles, held in our warehouse and delivered across Ireland.

Why Choose Iroko Wood

• Durability Class 1 to 2: naturally resistant to rot, decay and insect attack, with no chemical treatment.
• Long service life: around 25 years on a well detailed exterior wall.
• Straight, largely knot free grain: a calm, even facade rather than a busy one.
• Colour that changes with it: butter yellow when new, deepening to a rich chocolate brown.

Iroko Cladding Profiles and Sizes

Choose the profile for the look, then the length for the wall. Enter your area in the calculator on the product page and it works out how many you need; the cart adds the fixings and extras.

Iroko Shiplap Cladding

Wide 140×18 mm boards with an overlapping rebate that throws water off the face. Best for horizontal cladding with a clear shadow line. Choose the length on the product page, and go longer to cut down the joints on long horizontal runs.

Iroko Tongue and Groove Cladding

Narrower 94×18 mm boards that lock together for a tight, flush face. Works vertically, horizontally or on the diagonal, and suits smaller walls, soffits and feature panels. On the product page, pick shorter boards for soffits and small panels, and longer ones for fewer joints on a full wall.

Iroko vs Other Cladding Timbers

Iroko is the hardwood choice in our cladding range. Cedar cladding is lighter and softer with a more varied colour. Larch cladding is a durable softwood with more knots. Choose Iroko when you want a dense, even, golden hardwood facade.

Installing Iroko Cladding

• Fix to treated battens over a breather membrane, with a ventilated gap of at least 20 mm behind the boards.
• Use stainless steel fixings only. Iroko reacts with plain and galvanised steel and stains black around the fixing.
• Pre-drill near the board ends, because the interlocked grain can split.
• Cut with sharp tools and proper dust extraction. Iroko dust can irritate skin and lungs.

Oiling Iroko Cladding

Iroko doesn’t need treating to last, but left bare it weathers to a silver grey over 12 to 18 months. Most people oil it to keep the golden brown. Use a UV protective hardwood oil made for oily tropical hardwoods. Apply it in the first few months, refresh it every year for the first three years, then every two or three years. See our wood oils and stains.

For every species and profile we stock, browse all our timber cladding.